CNN head Jeff Zucker didn’t mince words when talking to the media recently. Zucker said that Fox News is a front for the GOP and that the Republican Party is being run out of Fox.

Jeff Zucker took the opportunity presented by the upcoming release of Richard Sherman’s biography of Roger Ailes to unload on Fox News, “Clearly all I can say at this point, without having read it, is from what I understand it confirms, basically, what we’ve known all along, which is that the Republican Party is being run out of News Corp headquarters, masquerading as a cable channel.”

Zucker hit Ailes for doing an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on the same week that the book is coming out, “[Ailes] doesn’t do an interview in a long time and then does it the week that the book comes out? He’s trying to deflect attention. Clearly there’s probably no other network in American television that is covering news in such a substantial and serious way than CNN.”

Zucker’s statement seems like a Captain Obvious moment, but consider that one of the reasons why Fox News is able to get away with as much as it does is that the mainstream media largely takes FNC’s side and treats them like a real news organization.

Back in 2010, the media flipped out when President Obama spoke the truth about Fox News in a Rolling Stone interview, Look, as president, I swore to uphold the Constitution, and part of that Constitution is a free press. We’ve got a tradition in this country of a press that oftentimes is opinionated. The golden age of an objective press was a pretty narrow span of time in our history. Before that, you had folks like Hearst who used their newspapers very intentionally to promote their viewpoints. I think Fox is part of that tradition — it is part of the tradition that has a very clear, undeniable point of view. It’s a point of view that I disagree with. It’s a point of view that I think is ultimately destructive for the long-term growth of a country that has a vibrant middle class and is competitive in the world. But as an economic enterprise, it’s been wildly successful. And I suspect that if you ask Mr. Murdoch what his number-one concern is, it’s that Fox is very successful.”

After that interview, mainstream media television networks ran to the defense of Fox News. Mainstream outlets that are desperate to follow the money making model of Fox have more times than not defended the network as a real outlet for journalism, so Zucker’s comments are a big deal.

CNN has a multitude of problems. One of which is a bias towards Republicans that makes the network much less of a straight shooter than Zucker claims. I think Al Jazeera America would disagree with Zucker’s statement that no other American network is covering the news as substantially as CNN. Plus it is ironic that Zucker would talk about substance at CNN after he brought back the completely empty Crossfire, and has loaded up his weekend primetime lineup with non-news programming.

If more network heads would speak out against Fox News, the truth might set journalism free. The mainstream media, including CNN, still foolishly believe that America is a conservative country and their path to huge profits is to copy Fox. Until this changes, the sorry pro-Republican state of corporate media won’t be transformed anytime soon.

Don’t expect Keith Olbermann to be on television anytime soon, or spill any dirt about his abrupt departure from MSNBC.

As part of an exit deal he struck with MSNBC, the former star of the channel’s evening lineup is prohibited from appearing on television for six to nine months and can’t discuss his departure, according to the New York Times.

Olbermann announced his immediate departure from MSNBC at the end of his Friday evening show, shortly after which the organization released a statement confirming that the two have “ended their contract.”

An NBC executive told the Times that he was allowed to work on the Internet and radio.

The news of Olbermann’s exit came with little warning and sent shock waves on the Internet. Though he had a rocky relationship with MSNBC executives in recent months, his “Countdown” show had for years been the channel’s top rated.

And Olbermann’s success set the tone for MSNBC’s hiring of provocative left-leaning commentators towards the end of the Bush administration, a period where the channel’s ratings surged past rival CNN — although it remained distantly behind Fox News.

Olbermann has not spoken to the press or posted on his frequently-used Twitter account since his announcement Friday. His promised silence would be unwelcome news for media reporters thirsty for the inside story behind the development.

Olbermann’s exit was propelled in part by the departure of former NBC president and CEO Jeff Zucker, who had regularly defended the controversial anchor, according to the Times and other media reports.

“Keith is an innovator and an extremely talented broadcaster who showed there was a market for progressive views on cable news,” said Media Matters founder and CEO David Brock. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of him soon and I eagerly await to hear of his next move.”

Good night and good luck!

Keith Olbermann and MSNBC abruptly announced tonight that “Countdown” has ended, effective immediately.

Olbermann broke the news to his viewers during his show’s final sign-off (full video below). MSNBC issued a statement with the news following tonight’s episode. According to the New York Times, the host came to an agreement with NBC management late this week to step down. “Countdown” aired for just under eight years.

NBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines said the Comcast merger had nothing to do with the decision.

Within minutes of the announcement, MSNBC unveiled their restructured evening lineup. Lawrence O’Donnell, host of “The Last Word,” will move to 8 P.M., while “The Ed Show” with Ed Schultz will air at 10 P.M. Rachel Maddow’s program will remain in its original 9 P.M. slot.

A source close to MSNBC management said network executives have grown increasingly impressed by O’Donnell and feel he has “grown into the job nicely.” According to the source, Schultz will play well with both the late night and west coast audiences.

“The debut of the new lineup will be the State of the Union, with Lawrence now the central player,” the source said.

Another source close to the network’s management said that O’Donnell’s background in both politics and entertainment helps him. “O’Donnell is a liberal Democrat, but he is an inside player — a player — by nature, having worked on the Hill for Pat Moynihan and in Hollywood.”

Others believe “Hardball” host Chris Matthews will benefit from the shakeup. “One of the other winners in this is Chris Matthews,” a source close to MSNBC management said. “He’s been steady and uncomplaining. His numbers are better and he has a natural Philly connection to Comcast.”

MSNBC’s statement on Olbermann reads as follows:

MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract. The last broadcast of “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” will be this evening. MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC’s success and we wish him well in his future endeavors.

In his final goodbye, Olbermann made a point to thank his audience for supporting him when he felt he could not continue the show:

There were many occasions, particularly in the last two-and-a-half years, where all that surrounded the show–but never the show itself–was just too much for me. But your support and loyalty and, if I may use the word, insistence, ultimately required me to keep going. My gratitude to you is boundless and if you think I’ve done any good here, imagine how it looked from this end…this may be the only television program wherein the host was much more in awe of the audience than vice versa.